Japan's prime minister has vowed to save the two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group.
An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill the two men unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours.
In the footage posted on jihadist websites on Tuesday, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English and with a British accent, standing between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.
"You now have 72 hours to pressure your government into making a wise decision by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens," he says.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told journalists on Tuesday: "Their lives are the top priority."
Abe also said: "It is unforgivable and I feel strong resentment."
Abe demanded the Islamic State group immediately release hostages Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa.
The militant says that the ransom demand was to compensate for non-military aid that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to support the campaign against IS during an ongoing Middle East tour that on Tuesday saw him in Jerusalem.
Japan's government said it was looking into the threat.
"We are aware of the reports. We are in discussions on the matter," said an official in the foreign ministry's terrorism
prevention division, declining to be named.
When asked whether the government regarded the video as authentic, he said: "We are checking that too."
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